We’ve already told you Why Having Relationships Matter with your family, friends and coworkers, as well as spiritually and with man (and woman’s) best friend. We also told you what one part of a healthy relationship looks like, but now we’d like you to see how a “healthy relationship” can take on a whole new meaning. This time we’ll define what a healthy relationship is in specific terms of how love and marriage can affect your health...

Happy relationships, especially in marriages, make for happy and sometimes healthier people. So, then, what happens when a relationship or marriage isn’t a happy one? Does that adversely affect your health?

Unhappy Marriages

Not only does an unhappy marriage put a serious damper on your mood emotionally, but new research is suggesting that an unhappy marriage can wreak havoc on your physical health as well. It’s no secret that the stress that builds up from arguments and other marital problems will raise your blood pressure either temporarily or chronically. But a study from the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at Ohio State University specifically found that when your stress levels are raised from marital arguing or other hostile behaviors, your body’s ability for wound-healing is also seriously affected. This study showed that the production of the blood proteins that are necessary in wound healing actually slows down. The group of couples who participated in the study who didn’t engage in these heated behaviors healed 60% quicker than those couples who argued.

Other research has concluded that married men, whether in a happy or unhappy marriage, are healthier than non-married men. The same can not be said for women who are in an unhappy marriage. Such women may be at risk for the metabolic syndrome, a number of combined risks that lead to heart trouble. Fortunately, short-term unhappiness may not affect this risk if the marriage is generally happy.

Single people, especially those who are lonely or without other kinds of relationships in their lives, are more likely to involve themselves in destructive behaviors like drugs, alcohol, overeating or risky sex. Why? Because when people don’t feel responsible for maintaining a healthy relationship or environment with someone else, they may engage in the mindset that it’s OK to take risks with their own lives. A good relationship or marriage can create a different level of intimacy and security, producing a greater sense of self-worth and purpose in life. This, in turn, fuels more intact mental health and less risk for unhealthy behavior. Studies from Yale and Duke have documented the affect, literally, on the heart. Happily married couples who felt very loved had significantly less coronary artery blockage and were less likely to die from heart disease as compared to those who were unhappily married.

While disagreements and bumps in the road are bound to occur in even the healthiest of relationships and marriages, it may be the way each partner resolves them that will probably affect their health the most. Couples can start working on that by learning how to fight fair or just by being more positive in general. Single individuals can also make an extra effort to engage in social activities with all kinds of people, because even less-intimate relationships can be rewarding both emotionally and physically.

Of course, these kinds of studies aren’t indicative of every situation, especially because a variety of factors play into how healthy you are. But more and more researchers and doctors are adding to their previous assumptions through studies that show a fulfilling relationship and marriage can yield wonderful results for your emotional well-being and for the other precious gift in your life outside of your loved ones – your health.

We’re Here to Help!

An important element of any happy and healthy relationship is individual health. The body-mind connection is so powerful, that by taking care of your body you will help empower your mind and enrich your relationships. Start by getting your own Free Personalized Vitamin Profile today to find out which supplements are right for your lifestyle, risk factors and nutrient needs.